Suboxone.com - How to Take SUBOXONE

The requested information is provided in Portable Document Format (PDF). To view and print this document you'll need to install a copy of the free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®. If you already have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed click "View PDF" below. If you need the Acrobat Reader you can download it from the Adobe Acrobat Reader Download page.

You are leaving Suboxone.com. Links are provided as a public service and for informational purposes only. No endorsement is made or implied. Clicking on "Continue" will take you to a website that is outside the control of Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals. You are solely responsible for your interactions with such websites.

Links are provided as a public service and for informational purposes only.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

On December 8, 2006, Federal legislation was passed allowing physicians to treat up to 100 opioid dependent patients with Suboxone at any given time—a significant increase from the previous limit of 30 patients.

If you can read this, then your browser cannot interpret Javascript. To take full advantage of what this website has to offer, please make sure that you have Javascript enabled in your browser preferences, or update to a browser that supports Javascript. Thank you.

News Room -- Safety Information -- Site Map -- En Español

How to Take SUBOXONE

Always take your SUBOXONE exactly as prescribed by your doctor
Before taking SUBOXONE, it's a good idea to drink some water to moisten your mouth. This helps the SUBOXONE tablets dissolve more easily
If your dose is 1 SUBOXONE tablet, place it under your tongue, lean your head slightly forward, and let the tablet dissolve completely. SUBOXONE is absorbed into the bloodstream through the veins under the tongue

SUBOXONE enters the bloodstream from under the tongue

If your dose is 2 tablets, place both of them under your tongue, 1 on the left side and 1 on the right side (you can use a mirror to make sure the tablets are in the proper places). Lean your head slightly forward, and let the tablets dissolve completely
If you have more than 2 tablets to take, put the next tablet(s) under your tongue after the first tablets have dissolved
SUBOXONE takes a short time (about 5 to 10 minutes, but sometimes more) to dissolve completely. Don't chew or swallow the tablets, because less SUBOXONE will be absorbed into your bloodstream, it will not work as well, and your withdrawal symptoms could worsen
Talking while the tablets are dissolving can interfere with how well SUBOXONE is absorbed
You may want to do something that doesn't require talking, such as reading or watching television, while waiting for the tablets to dissolve
Let family and friends know that you won't be able to answer them or talk on the phone during this time

Important SUBOXONE Safety Information

If you miss a dose of SUBOXONE, take it as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at the regular time, unless your doctor instructs you otherwise
Injecting SUBOXONE is dangerous and can cause severe withdrawal symptoms, painful or collapsed veins, blood clots, and increased risk of infection
Your friends and family should be advised that an ambulance should be called right away in the event that you become extremely sleepy, the pupils of your eyes become like pinpoints, you feel faint or dizzy, or your breathing becomes much slower than normal
It is important that you take your SUBOXONE or SUBUTEX® (buprenorphine HCl sublingual tablets) with your other medications exactly as directed by your physician. Abuse or misuse of your medications while on SUBOXONE or SUBUTEX can cause death.
A number of deaths have occurred when dependent people have injected buprenorphine, usually together with benzodiazepines. While you are being treated with SUBOXONE or SUBUTEX, do not use benzodiazepines, tranquilizers, or sedatives unless they have been prescribed by your doctor. Do not drink alcohol while taking SUBOXONE or SUBUTEX.